Fetal Cardiac Intervention: A Comprehensive Review of Current Evidence.

Fetal cardiac intervention consists of a novel and evolving technique for the intrauterine treatment of a subset of patients with congenital heart diseases, which aims to improve hemodynamics, reduce secondary damage, and achieve better postnatal outcomes. Nevertheless, the risks and benefits of this therapy remains subject to controversy. This review describes the rationale, selection criteria, and technical features for the most frequently performed fetal cardiac interventions.

[22q11.2 deletion syndrome and complex congenital heart defects].

Objective: Investigate the frequency of 22q11 deletion syndrome among patients with complex congenital heart disease.

Methods: A prospective and consecutive cohort of patients with complex heart defects was evaluated in their first hospitalization at a cardiac intensive care unit of a pediatric hospital. For each patient a protocol of demographic and clinical evaluation was filled.

[Oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum in patients with congenital heart defects].

Background: there have been few studies evaluating the frequency of oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS) in patients with congenital heart defects (CHDs).

Objective: to verify the frequency of OAVS in a sample of patients with major heart malformations.

Methods: we evaluated a prospective cohort of patients with CHD admitted in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) in Brazil.